Darrin Nordahl

Darrin's books have been featured in a wide media continuum, from The American Conservative to Jezebel, the sex, fashion, and gossip website for women. He has been interviewed by NPR, Bloomberg News, The Globe and Mail, and television, magazines, and newspapers throughout the United States and Canada

For more information on Darrin's speaking schedule and biography, please visit his Facebook page or his website: darrinnordahl.com.

Author Updates

March means asparagus out here in California. Though you can find asparagus as early as February in some farmers markets, March is when these succulent spears become plentiful and multicolored: green, white, and even purple.

Asparagus is about the only perennial vegetable commonly consumed in the States. (Rhubarb is another one, though we typically use it as fruit in jams and pie fillings). Though some vegetables may be perennial if grown in a very mild climate, only asparagus consi

Ah, the arrival of March! Spring is in the air (it was an amazingly gorgeous 76 degrees today under brilliant cerulean skies). I actually got in my pool today. Well, just my feet. (The weather is warm and sunny but water is still icy cold).

As I sat on the diving board, looking at the ugly algae that is starting to form on the steps at the shallow end, I started thinking of more handsome aquatic plants. And wouldn't it be great if those aquatic plants were part of the my edible gard

You might be thinking, "Why would I want to eat bitter oranges, when I could have sweet oranges, or juicy, sumptuous mandarins?"

Because bitter oranges aren't so much bitter as they are sour, really. Sour with a pleasing bitterness. Okay, I'm probably not making them sound so appetizing. But they really are. And they are very useful in a lot of recipes.

Bitter orange, also known as sour orange and Seville orange, is a hybrid of the pomelo and the mandarin. And

King oyster mushrooms (also known as royal trumpets), are the largest species in the oyster mushroom genera.They have an especially thick, meaty stem, and a comparatively diminutive cap.

Native to the Mediterranean and north Africa, King Oysters are now cultivated throughout Asia and in the United States as well. While it is difficult to propagate many species of mushrooms, king oysters can be cultured on

You may have heard about a pervasive seafood scandal recently (it's become big news). Fish you think you are eating in restaurants (and buying in supermarkets) is often mislabeled—purposely—for better profit. Cheap fish is passed off as more expensive species. This fish fraud is a classic example of bait and switch (pun too good to pass up).

According to an NBC report, one-third of the fish in restaurants and stores is mislabeled. Sushi-venues are the most egregious offenders: 74% o

You may know mâche as corn salad, or perhaps lamb's lettuce. Or maybe you don't know mâche at all. That's okay; many Americans don't. But we should. Mâche is a delicate, fine-flavored salad green, revered by gourmands around the world.

Mâche is different than other interesting salad greens, like rocket (arugula) or spinach or chard. These greens can be served raw or cooked. But mâche is more like true lettuce. It is only eaten raw.

Japanese mushroom species are numerous, though many are obscure to most Americans. Maitake, matsutake, and shimeji are some of the more popular species of Japanese mushrooms, and yet even these are scarcely known in the States.
But these days, everyone has heard of the shiitake.
Shiitakes are native to eastern Asia (Japan, China, and Korea specifically) but they are now being cultivated in warehouses throughout the United States. Every farmers market I have visited since I've m

Female (top) and male sockeye. Sockeye turn
a brilliant red during mating season
(image credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)Sockeye is often preferred by salmon lovers, because it has a richer, more robust flavor than other salmon species. It's flesh is also firmer, making it an ideal fish for the grill.

Sockeye is a Pacific species of salmon, and the third most abundant in the genus. It is generally found in the cooler areas of the eastern Pacific, from Washington st

Two popular varieties of sweet orange:
Blood oranges and Cara Cara NavelsSweet orange is the orange everyone thinks of when you say "orange." Orange could mean mandarins, or Bergamots, or Sevilles (bitter orange) in some places. But here, orange means sweet orange.

Sweet orange is not only the most popular citrus here in the States, but the most cultivated tree fruit in the entire world! And this most popular citrus has scads of cultivated varieties. Navel, Bloo

Next time someone calls me "Dill weed," I'm going to thank them for the compliment. (And compliments like that seem to come more frequently as I get older ;-)

I'll take it as a compliment because dill is so clean and bright. I've never cooked with fresh dill before; and now I'm scratching my head wondering "Where have you been all my life, my delectable dill weed?"

Dill is often called dill weed to distinguish it from dill seed, the small dark brown

When folks hear "endive," they often think of those creamy white, egg-shaped leafy heads of Belgian endive (Chicorium intybus). But Belgian endive is not a true endive, but a common chicory.

True endive—Chicorium endivia—is also a chicory, but a distinct species from the common chicory. The two principle varieties of true endive are curly endive (also known as frisée) and escarole. Curly endive has frilly-edged leaves on long stems. Escarole forms a loose head of wi

Tangelo is a portmanteau of tangerine and pomelo. Which makes sense, since they are the botanical parents of the tangelo. Kind of an odd couple, though. It's as if Shaquille O'Neal mated with Mary Kate Olsen to produce sweet, juicy offspring. Offspring with large, erect nipples.

Indeed, tangelos look like mandarin oranges, but with large nipples. They taste like tangerines, but juicier and sweeter. They are without a doubt one of the best citrus for making fresh squeezed juice.

Chinese mustard (gai choy) on left.
Red-leaf mustard center left.
Mustard seed (and Dijon mustard) center right.
Traditional mustard right.Mustard is quite the useful plant. Mustard is often used as a "green" manure. Farmers will plant mustard in between crop cycles. The mustard, which grows in quite thick, helps suppress weeds. The mustard is cut down and tilled back into the soil, providing nitrogen and texture.

I can't mention tangerine without thinking of music. It is such a prominent symbol in the lyrics of many classic rock songs. The Beatles painted a psychedelic scene of "tangerine trees and marmalade skies," in their song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. One of my favorite Led Zeppelin tunes is Tangerine, a folksy love song from the band's third album. Frank Sinatra also had a hit with his Tangerine song. And who can forget The Flaming Lips' super-silly-yet-infectiously-catchy 90's h

I have learned so much about food from talking to specialty crop farmers, butchers, fish mongers, and proprietors of ethnic grocers. They all have been expert teachers.
But the other day I was floored when one of the managers of my local mom-and-pop Indian market couldn't tell me what this unusual spice was she was selling. "I have no idea what this is," she said to the small bag of black catkins I was holding up. "Let me see this," (Geez lady, this is your store, and y

Two types of Belgian endive, with the
chicory root still attachedChicory is a puzzling vegetable. Puzzling in part because here in the States, we seldom refer to such common produce items like radicchio or Belgian endive as chicory. But that's what they are.

Common chicory is a weed, really; thriving wild on the sides of roads throughout Europe. But there are varieties of cultivated chicory that are revered in salads and coffee. Chicory root is baked and ground to add to coffe

Actually, had I put more forethought into this food blog, I would have saved cacao (chocolate) for today. But I profiled that back in October.

And roses would have been perfect, too. Rose hips are a very nutritious fruit. And rose petals are used to flavor many interesting drinks and dishes. But roses are not in season. Not even in California.

If you know Earl Gray tea, then you know bergamot orange. Earl Gray is a black tea, flavored and scented with the oil of this orange. (Interestingly, while many consider Earl Gray to be a superior tea, it was originally flavored and scented to imitate the more expensive types of Chinese tea.)

Bergamot orange is a curious citrus. Believed to be a hybrid of sweet lime and bitter orange, it has the shape of pear, but with yellow skin, like a lemon. In fact, it even smells and tastes li

I've been on this Indomalaya fruit kick this past week. Longan, durian, and rambutan are all exotic fruits here in the States, native to Indonesia and Malaysia. All have unusual visages and unique scents. None are what anyone would consider pretty, however; or particularly pleasing to the olfactory bulb. And though each has interesting flavors, I wouldn't characterize longan, durian, or rambutan as especially yummy.

Black trumpet mushrooms have another, macabre moniker: Trumpet of the Dead. So named because these fungi look like miniature trumpets poking out of the earth, as if being played by the dead bodies buried in the soil.

Now doesn't that make your mouth water?!? [shiver]

Black trumpet is a very dark (almost) black mushroom that is closely related to chanterelles. They are somewhat rare. Not because they aren't plentiful along the forest floor. Rather, they are just so hard

Rambutan is a big, fat, hairy deal. Well, maybe just a hairy deal. At least in Malaysia and Indonesia, anyway. And to me as well. I mean, I can't imagine something so repugnant looking tasting so mild and sweet.

Rambutan looks like tumbleweeds in miniature. Or the baddest ass dust bunnies ever to roll under your bed.

In Malaysian and Indonesian, rambutan means "hairy." And in Vietnam, this fruit is known as chôm chôm, meaning "messy

Three varieties of cabbage:
Green and red wrapped in crinkly savoy leavesBroccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, collards, and kale are all the same species as cabbage (just different cultivated varieties). And all have the same parent: the wild cabbage.

Cabbage is an ancient crop, although it has been difficult for scientists to pinpoint its exact history. It is believed that head cabbage was first cultivated in Europe about 3,000 years ago.

Longan, literally translated from Mandarin, means "Dragon Eye." But I have another name for this fruit. I call it semen berry. Because that is the only scent I smelled when I cracked my first fruit. I'm sorry. I know I just ruined longans for you. Trust me, it tastes nothing like semen (or, so I've been told.)

And to you, maybe it doesn't smell like semen. It is a member of the soapberry family, whose fruits have been used as natural body detergents for thousands of years.